Red Bull junior Juri Vips will be waiting in the wings this weekend at Istanbul where the 20-year-old Estonian will act as the official reserve driver for RBR and AlphaTauri.
Vips, who now holds an FIA Super Licence, will replace Red Bull's usual reserve Sergio Sette Camara who has another commitment this weekend while fellow reserve Sebastien Buemi is on duty with Toyota in Bahrain for a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Vips would likely only drive for AlphaTauri in the event that either Pierre Gasly or Daniil Kvyat becomes unexpectedly unavailable, as Red Bull Racing's substitute plan involves promoting one AlphaTauri's current drivers to the senior bull squad.
Vips was earmarked for a season in Japan's Super Formula championship with Team Mugen alongside Tomoki Nojiri, but due to travel restrictions induced by the coronavirus pandemic, Vips has been unable to take part in the series.
Earlier this year, the Red Bull junior replaced the injured Sean Gelael at DAMS in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, just missing out on points at Spa and Monza, but scoring a third-place podium finish at the series' Mugello round.
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Ferrari wrapped up a productive pre-season testing stint in Bahrain, leaving team principal Fred Vasseur…
Mercedes’ pre-season testing in Bahrain wrapped up on Friday with a mix of promise and…
F1 pre-season testing reached its conclusion in Bahrain on Friday, and it’s now time for…
Ferrari and Charles Leclerc ended the 2026 Bahrain pre-season testing on a high note, dominating…
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has thrown a bold prediction into Formula 1’s swirling 2026…
Aston Martin’s pre-season preparations in Bahrain have taken on the air of a slow-motion collapse,…